9 minute read
FURNITURE
THE CONRAN SHOP
The home of iconic designs and future classics
Considered design has been at the core of The Conran Shop ever since the late Sir Terence Conran founded it in 1973. Offering a unique and personal blend of design classics and future icons, its furniture and lighting collections, homewares, and gifts have excited visitors for generations, continually evolving to reflect how we live. ‘I always thought that The Conran Shop should be filled with the very best and most interesting products and furniture from the four corners of the world, all chosen with the same pair of eyes,’ Sir Terence once said.
Today, this legacy brand with a contemporary edge manages ten stores worldwide, including those in London, Paris, Japan, and South Korea, each providing an unbeatable shopping experience. It also has a significant online presence, delivering to over 200 countries. Mid-century classics and inimitable vintage styles from a selection of the world’s best brands are complemented and brought up to date with an innovative collection of exclusive editions from world-famous designers and makers, continuing its founder’s grand ambitions.
For autumn and winter 2022 alone, these new additions champion a new roster of iconic pieces, as well as a series of homegrown future classics. First, there’s Pierre Paulin’s characterful ‘Groovy Chair’ for Paulin, Paulin, Paulin, exclusively made over in four vibrant hues of a specialist, hardwearing wool fabric. Next, Lucy Kurrein’s timeless and modular ‘Bibendum Sofa’ for Molinari plays with lines of the Sixties, revised in a contemporary key, only available at The Conran Shop.
‘I wanted it to be a shop that sold classic, modern furniture for a more informed generation, alongside fine glassware and china, beautiful handmade rugs and the very best French cookware’ – Sir Terence Conran
For lighting and homeware, there is a mix of revived luminary classics and a radiant assortment of Spanish handcrafted table, floor, and ceiling lights from Pott. The connected ‘Terre Table Lamp’ by Altherr Désile Park rests halfway between artisanship and industrialisation, a tribute to clay and its organicity, while Karin Hossack’s exclusive and eclectic pottery parades handcarved edges and complementing hues for the considered home.
An unabating leader in shaping future heroes within the design sphere, The Conran Shop’s partnership with New Designers continues to thrive; young talents Cameron Rowley, Frank Winter, and Huw Evans are now under the brand’s mentorship, their poetic designs finally realised and soon available for purchase. For example, Winter’s ‘Core’ collection, a bench, desk, a series of tables, and a bed with a co-ordinating headboard, pays homage to the mitre clamp, the trusted woodworking tool. While The Conran Shop nurtures new talent, it also supports local design celebrations such as London Craft Week, London Design Festival, and Paris Design Week, consistently teaming up with talents from home and afar to spotlight its latest developments. As The Conran Shop approaches its 50th anniversary next year, the brand is ever adapting and evolving, driven by Sir Terence Conran’s founding vision of considered design and curated living. Endorsing established designers and emerging talents, it curates décors that are informed by the past, mindful of the present, and ready for the future.
As it approaches its 50th anniversary, The Conran Shop continues to thrive under its founder’s ethos of considered design
The Conran Shop
+44 (0)20 7589 7401 conranshop.com theconranshopofficial
GEORGE SMITH
George Smith is an experienced maker of exceptional upholstered furniture for prestigious projects around the world. Originally founded as a boutique shop specialising in Howard-style furniture, the company has grown steadily and now boasts the largest team of master upholsterers in the UK. With a 35-year track record in delivering high profile hospitality and residential projects, it partners with clients to create inspirational, bespoke furniture. George Smith pieces can be seen in iconic locations including Annabel’s in Mayfair, Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC Hotel in New York and the Soho House member’s clubs, as well as in family homes across the globe. Its furniture can also now be found in Auriens, Chelsea, the ultimate in later living accommodation. George Smith worked closely with the designers of Auriens to develop custom pieces, each of which help provides residents with autonomy and confidence while staying inherently stylish.
United by passion and enthusiasm, the George Smith team believes in quality and service without compromise to provide beautiful, enduring, comfortable pieces. Its flagship showroom is located on the King’s Road in London, where clients can see first hand the extensive collection of sofas, chairs, chaises and stools, all in a variety of designs and fabrics to suit both contemporary and classic interiors. George Smith also has a presence in the US, with showrooms in the design districts of New York and Los Angeles, and numerous global partners. The beating heart of the company is the factory in the
Clockwise from top left: Auriens Chelsea; Sims Hilditch Collection for George Smith; Morris & Co, Harrods north of England where each piece of furniture is meticulously handcrafted using a fusion of traditional techniques, precision technology and natural materials.
Quality has always been fundamental to George Smith. Using only the best, responsibly sourced materials, the team ensures every handmade piece is comfortable, beautifully finished and built to last. Frames are guaranteed for 25 years, meaning that furniture is passed down through generations; these are timeless heirlooms that are built to stand the test of time. Production is all in-house, which provides assurance that each piece is made using exceptional craftsmanship from start to finish. In autumn 2021 George Smith launched the Sims Hilditch collection, comprising the Emma chair, sofa and ottoman designed by Sims Hilditch. Once again, the company has brought to life the design team’s aesthetic and ethos in a truly unique way.
Continuing to meet new requirements, George Smith recently introduced an unrivalled Quick Ship service, displaying an array of its bestsellers in selected fabrics handmade to order and delivered in four weeks.
In October 2022, George Smith will be launching its dreamiest collection yet, introducing a range of crafted headboards and bed bases. The new bed range will expand the signature collections and be fully upholstered in its own fabrics. In addition, George Smith will be taking a big step into the great outdoors in 2023. Having created bespoke, luxury outdoor furniture for years, the company has decided to make it official and launch a specialised range, upholstered in George Smith outdoor fabrics. An exciting new development for this everevolving brand.
George Smith
587-589 King’s Road London SW6 2EH +44(0) 20 7384 1004 georgesmith.com georgesmithfurniture
With a 35-year track record in delivering high profile hospitality and residential projects, George Smith partners with clients to create exceptional upholstered furniture.
ST JAMES INTERIORS
Bespoke joinery based on heritage and craftsmanship
‘I come from three generations of craftsmen; my grandfather, father and now me,’ says Pritesh Lad who founded bespoke joinery company St James Interiors in 2018. ‘The business stems from years of handed down knowledge and skills, and that idea of really taking the time to produce beautiful work. I want to pass on that legacy by infusing craftsmanship with modern technology to deliver timeless luxury furniture and interiors.’
St James Interiors focuses on two key areas: manufacturing and designing bespoke interiors (such as kitchens, wardrobes and wine rooms) and highly crafted furniture tailored to individual requirements. Key to Pritesh’s values is honesty (‘we always give honest advice to a client, be it on material selection or design direction, because it’s all about building long-term connections’), creating original, high-quality work, and sustainability. As well as producing pieces that will last for life, this also means, on a practical level, using only FSC-sourced timber, heating the workshop with sawdust and reducing its carbon footprint with less skip waste. Clients are encouraged to visit the workshop, meet the team and learn more about how the company works and see their work in production.
‘We are super excited about launching our furniture brand, Jush London, later this year,’ says Pritesh. ‘This has been in the pipeline for a while but the pandemic allowed us the opportunity to fine-tune its direction.’ The brand’s previous award-winning designs, like the ‘Vithal Jesse’ table and ‘Dhan’ desk, gave him the inspiration to move forward with this venture. Added to the range will be his twist on modern organic furniture. ‘Our speciality as bespoke joiners is working with wood, however we love to add materials such as stone, metal and fabric into the mix to showcase craftsmanship in our pieces.
We will look to push boundaries on what is considered furniture: we see this as an opportunity to be innovate and original,’ he continues.
Among other projects, this year St James Interiors is working collaboratively with clothsurgeon, the first tailored streetwear brand on Savile Row. ‘We are finding textures in materials a big trend at the moment and with our five axis CNC machine we are able to offer completely bespoke patterns and textures,’ he continues. The St James Interiors ethos is to enrich its clients’ lives through impeccable design, as well as to inspire the next generation of craftsmen. Everything is bespoke, from the materials used to the size of a piece of furniture. Detail is at the heart of every piece to ensure the absolute best finished product.
The experienced workshop team (many of whom knew Pritesh’s grandfather) has a can-do attitude and they are unafraid of pushing design boundaries, testing out-of-the-box ideas or experimenting with new ways to work with innovative materials and machinery.
‘What I love is that every day brings a new challenge. Whether it’s a first-time client with an exciting brief or discovering a different way to work with a material, no two days are the same,’ concludes Pritesh.
Expert joinery and craftsmanship are the bedrock of St James Interiors
St James Interiors
35 Gorst Road, Park Royal London NW10 6LA +44 (0)20 8961 1342 stjamesinteriors.com stjamesinteriors
